Agata Szymczewska
Polish musicians will join the Chinese National Symphony Orchestra to present a weekend of classical works by composers like Fryderyk Chopin, Karol Szymanowski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and more
The weekend will include three concerts, the first of which takes place on the 11th of November at the Beijing Concert Hall. The internationally-renowned Polish conductor Krzysztof Penderecki will conduct the orchestra through works by Szymanowski and the evening’s soloist is Agata Szymczewska. Szymczewska is a violinist and recipient of the “Paszport Polityki”, an award bestowed by one of Poland’s weeklies, and a “Fryderyk”, an award equivalent to the Polish Grammy’s, for the Best Solo Album of the Year (2006) together with Krystian Zimerman.
The second day features a recital concert in the Polish Embassy in Beijing – Krzysztof Jabłoński, the third place winner of the 11th International Chopin Competition, will play. This piano recital will be repeated the next day, the 13th of November, in the Beijing Concert Hall and will be accompanied by a multimedia presentation entitled “Homage a Chopin”.
Jerzy Duda-Gracz (1941-2004) painted a series of works interpreting Fryderyk Chopin’s compositions. Chopin was Duda-Gracz’s favourite composer and the 295-piece series, created between 1999-2003, serves as a tribute to Chopin. The pieces are both acrylics (“Etudes”, “Preludia” and “Pieśni” / “Songs”) and oils (the remaining works). The “Homage” was first presented during the 2005 EXPO in Japan, then put on display for wider audiences in autumn 2005 at the Polish National Theatre and Opera House during the 15th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw.
The weekend’s programme includes:
11th of November, 19:30, Beijing Concert Hall
Zygmunt Nosowski – “Step” Op. 66
Karol Szymanowski – 1st Violin Concerto
Krzysztof Penderecki – 2nd Symphony
12th of November, 19:00, Polish Embassy in Beijing
Fryderyk Chopin – Polonais in F-minor, Op. 44; “Impromptu Fantasy” C-minor, Op. 66
Karol Szymanowski – Etude in B-minor, Op. 4, Nr. 3
Ignacy Jan Paderewski – “Fantastic Krakowian” Op. 14, Nr. 6; “Legend”, Op. 16, Nr. 1
Fryderyk Chopin – Scherzo in B-minor Op. 31; Ballad in G-minor, Op. 23; Andante Spianato
and the Great Polonais in E-major, Op. 22
13th of November, 19:30, Beijing Concert Hall
Fryderyk Chopin Recital plus “Homage a Chopin” exhibition
Date: 11th – 13th of November 2011
Venue: Beijing Concert Hall, Polish Embassy in Beijing
Organised by: The Polish Embassy in Beijing, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Ludwig van Beethoven Association
This project is cofinanced by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.